We met up with our friend for a couple of drinks out side by the cut. The weather wasn't cold but it did start drizzling a couple of times and the temperature dropped too. They did tell us that last orders at the bar were 21:30 too, so we weren't late.
The Dog and Doublet pub has quite a long history which I have blogged about in the past, but can't think when. We set of a few minutes before our normal as we had a distance to cover today. The first of the three locks of the day was right outside the pub, No.9 in the Curdworth Flight.
At the bottom lock were a family of ducks that were just too cute to pass for Helen and out came the old crusts and some porridge oats to feed them.
The swing bridge above the lock gets progressively more decrepit. I was intrigued as to why it was need in the first place. When I looked on the 1887 OS it doesn't appear, but it is there on the one printed in 1901 and it looks like just fields beyond on both maps so nothing appears to have changed.
The BCN cottages down this flight seem to well preserved and still numbered. They would have been fairly modest homes for larger families in their day, but seem to be highly sort after these days. Must have been idyllic at the height of COVID. Not sure they have the demand for second homes as a similar cottage in Cornwall or similar spots.
I had never noticed before bu there is the date plaque on the wall giving the construction date as 1820.
Despite it being pretty straight and reed bound it still seems wide enough in most places for boats to pass easily. With the old gravel pits being worked out the Kingsbury Waterpark and Middleton Pools were set up so there is good walking form the moorings around here. Amy ran from the bottom lock as part of her marathon training. Pretty great place for a run I would say.
She ran as far as Drayton swing and foot bridge and stood on the bridge as we approached. We didn't go far until stopping at the water point by the Fazeley Mill Marina and then heading down to the junction.
It seemed to be extremely busy at the junction with boats going in all directions, with one turning up the Birmingham and Fazeley and decided to ram in the small gap between us and a boat who had pulled out in front of us earlier who were waiting for him to clear the bridge hole. I had been waiting for the boat in front to enter the bridge hole so I could tie up on the moorings just by it. The other boat took that mooring, but luckily there was room for two. Helen and Amy went off to get some bits of shopping and were soon back and we were off, to a clear junction and the haul up to Fradley. The Methodist Church appears to have been converted already and awaiting new owners. There is lots of working going on at the mill.
Just by the bridge were these concrete posts, similar to the one with a D down the Aston flight yesterday. These are making up a stop plank rest though.
As we cleared Fazeley we were asked by a day boat from Streethay Wharf where the 'turning circle' was. This is the second time and I want to explain to them that they were alloowed to turn where ever the short length of their boat allowed, but not easy as we passed each other. They were having a good time so why bother anyway. Amy decided to get another view of Hopwas Wood as we passed by, not passing a boat at all.
I remembered to take a picture of the stone that marked where the Coventry Canal Co. and the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal Co met in the construction of this canal. The B&F got sick of waiting for the Coventry to complete the connection with the Trent and Mersey so set to themselves. The bridge numbers and bridge names also shows where the join was.
At Hudlesford, Ogley Junction the old route to the BCN serves as moorings for the Lichfield Canal Cruising Club. The canal is one of the most likely to be finished in the next decade or so, so I wonder what they will do about the moorings. If it stays as it is it could be quite busy, and not the nice quiet moorings they are today.
I was getting worried about finding a berth at Fradley as it was getting late, gone 17:00 when we came across the start of the moorings on the Coventry. There was moorings free so no problem. I was planning to reverse down the Junction lock and on to any free moorings by the cafe if we were stuck. We had booked a meal at the Swan for 18:30, so didn't want to be too far away.. As it rurned out all was fine.
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